Florida's Elevate Florida Program: A Year of Delays

0:00From Tampa Bay, this is your March 4th update. Florida launched the Elevator Florida program early last year to help homeowners rebuild stronger after hurricanes. Haleen and Milton wrecked thousands of properties with flooding. The state promised to speed up aid for elevating homes, reconstructing them, hardening against winds, or even buying out floodprone ones using 4, $100 million from federal emergency grants. The program opened applications in February 2025, drawing over 11,000 from coastal areas hit hardest. Officials first said they might cover full costs, but switched to requiring homeowners to pay 25% after the rush of requests. Early talk was a finishing project in as little as seven months. Homeowners like those in St. Petersburg and Madera Beach are stuck waiting with lives upended and home still ruined. Many love their neighborhoods and see the aid as a way to stay put without bankrupting themselves, but frustration grows over stalled reviews and unclear timelines.

1:02A year in, no projects have won final approval. The state sent hundreds of applications to federal reviewers last December and more this February, but FEMA just got the first batch recently. Delay stemmed from federal checks, a government shutdown last year, and tight-grant deadlines. Some families dropped out and borrowed to lift their homes themselves moving back faster than the program's pace. Others remain in limbo, wondering if help will come before the next storm season as contractors wait to and question if the state can deliver on. Time. Dianne is sponsored by our partner. Check out the episode description. Press play. Put your head down. The sound is already there. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com. S-O-L-L-I-SoliPillow.com S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com. S-O-L-I-SoliPillow.com.